In this episode of the SASMA Podcast, Dr Aasha Parshotam sits down with Dr Adisha Bhola, President of the Sports and Exercise Medicine Association of Mauritius (SEMA) and Chief Medical Officer of the Mauritius Rugby Federation, to explore how a small island nation is becoming a model for integrated, evidence-based sports and exercise medicine in Africa.

Dr Bhola shares her journey from London to Mauritius and the challenges of establishing a sports-medicine system from the ground up. Together they unpack:

• How Mauritius is using exercise prescription programmes to tackle non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension.
• The creation of the Institute of Sports Medicine and the role of public-private-academic collaboration.
• Behind-the-scenes medical planning for the Mauritius Sevens tournament, including tropical health risks and emergency protocols.
• The future vision for sports and exercise medicine in Mauritius — from specialty recognition to embedding exercise in primary care.

This inspiring conversation highlights how leadership, community partnerships, and education can transform athlete care and public health — even in resource-limited settings.

In this SASMA Podcast episode, host Aasha sits down with Dr Darren Green—Chief Medical Officer for Mediclinic Corporate Events and CMO to flagship races and rugby tournaments—to unpack how a city readies itself, medically and operationally, for the Cape Town Marathon as it bids for Abbott World Marathon Majors status. Dr Green lifts the lid on the real engine room of race day: ER24’s pre-hospital response, doctor–nurse route stations, a 28-bed finish-line race hospital with ICU capability and rapid cold-water immersion, and the live Venue Operations Centre coordinating police, traffic, disaster management, and medical dispatch in real time. He explains how spring weather, heat, wind, humidity, and radiant tar impact risk and performance, and walks through the most common clinical presentations—from heat illness, hyponatremia, and rhabdomyolysis to MSK overload and postural hypotension—plus practical prevention for runners. We also spotlight the 100+ UCT and Stellenbosch volunteers gaining frontline experience and the broader public-health legacy of hosting a world-class marathon in Africa.

In this episode of the SASMA Podcast, host Kyle Winik speaks with Prof. Martin Schwellnus — a global authority in Sport and Exercise Medicine, Director of the IOC Research Center in South Africa, and President of the College of Sport and Exercise Medicine SA.

They explore the evolution of sport and exercise medicine in South Africa — from its academic beginnings at UCT in the early 1990s to the specialty’s official recognition in 2020. Prof. Schwellnus shares his insights on the College’s role in athlete care, its broader impact on fighting non-communicable diseases through exercise prescription, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration.

Importantly, the conversation looks ahead to the College of Sport and Exercise Medicine’s upcoming conference this October in Johannesburg, where experts and practitioners will gather to discuss advances in athlete health, chronic disease prevention, and the future of the specialty in South Africa.

This is a must-listen for anyone interested in how sport and exercise medicine is shaping both elite performance and public health.